Butterflies Dont Lie
by OTHBrucas
Summary: Brooke and Lucas are in their senior year of highschool. Are they destined to be together, or will other people hinder them on their way to each other? BL JP NH
1. Chapter 1

"It's our last homecoming" Brooke said sadly as she adjusted the boutonnière on Felix's jacket.

"I know baby…it sad" Felix said. "You look beautiful though"

"Thanks" Brooke smiled up at him and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him.

"I wonder if Lucas will stalk you tonight"

"Felix…" Brooke warned. "Lucas is one of my really good friends…and he doesn't stalk me"

"I know he doesn't…but he strikes me as the stalker-ish type"

Brooke shook her head and laughed. "Come on, we've gotta get to Peyton's so we don't miss the limo"

"Wait, wait" Felix said. "I have something to give you" Felix rummaged through his jacket pocket, pulled out a box, and handed it to her. "I hope you like it"

Brooke opened the box and gasped. "Felix it's so pretty…and it matches my dress perfectly…"

"I know…I had Peyton tell me what color it was"

"Thank you so much" Brooke kissed him. "I love it"

"I love YOU"

_At Peyton's…_

"Everyone…gather around…please?" Ellie begged. "This is the first and last time I'll be able to see my daughter go to Homecoming…"

"Stand still and look pretty!" Brooke commanded.

Larry and Ellie snapped a bunch of photos before letting the kids move.

"Hey Brooke" Lucas said.

"Hey Luke" Brooke smiled, glaring at Felix who was eyeing Lucas meanly.

"You look pretty tonight"

"Thanks" Brooke said. "You look quite handsome too Mr. Scott"

"Thanks right back at ya" Lucas laughed.

Brooke noticed the boutonnière on his jacket and casually asked "Who's your date?"

"Uh…Peyton"

"Peyton? As in Peyton SAWYER, Peyton?" Brooke asked, astonished.

"Yep"

"She didn't tell me that" Brooke said, keeping her voice calm. "Well, that's cool…you guys have fun…I have to go find my boyfriend"

"O…kay" Lucas said, surprised at how fast Brooke took off. He watched with a lump in his throat as Felix saw Brooke, smiled, and wrapped his arms around her.

"Hey date" Peyton sidled up to Lucas. She saw where he was looking and sighed. "Look, I know you love Brooke…but just humor me for one night and have some fun?"

"I'm sorry, Peyton…it's just…"

"Look, I know it hurts. Do you have any idea how much it hurts that Jake's with Nikki again?"

"Can I go kick his ass?" Lucas asked.

"Lucas…" Peyton laughed. "I'm so glad we're friends…you're like my big brother"

"I actually wanna kick Jake's ass" Lucas said.

"Let's just have fun tonight, hmm?"

"Yeah…forget Brooke" Lucas said.

"No, no…don't you dare forget the girl you love…just give it time, ok?"

"Yeah…well…love isn't my favorite thing right now"

"Amen"

_At the dance…_

"Wow, dances are like a breeding ground for DRAMA" Brooke sighed, sitting next to Haley.

"I know" Haley said, watching Nathan dance with some random girl.

"I didn't know Peyton and Lucas were dating"

"They're not, they're just here as friends" Haley said, turning her head to look at Brooke.

"I don't care either way" Brooke said. "I have a boyfriend"

"Such a great boyfriend…he's dancing with that girl like sex on hardwood floor is the new pink razor" Haley pointed out.

"This is true" Brooke sighed. "Why do I let him treat me like that?"

"I don't know…you know Brooke I told you to break up with Felix for a reason, and its not jealousy or bitterness…he's not good for you"

"I KNOW that…but how am I gonna make Lucas jealous?"

"Apparently, he's the one making you jealous"

"Shut up" Brooke grumbled, watching Peyton and Lucas grind. "They're in public, do they not realize that?"

"Drama, drama, drama…"

"What's the drama?" Peyton asked, coming up behind them.

"You" Brooke muttered.

"Come again?"

"Nothing, just drama in general" Brooke said.

"Oh…well I'm gonna get a drink, you wanna come with?"

"No" Brooke said.

"Um…ok" Peyton said, walking away, looking confused.

"Because that wasn't obvious at ALL" Haley said.

"Oh shush…I don't care" Brooke said. "I'm gonna go make Felix wish he had never been such an ass"

"How're you gonna do that?"

"Um, I'm Brooke Davis. All I have to do is bite my lip and all the boys flock to"

"Ha…good luck Tigger…"

* * *

"Brooke's dad paid for the limo…lets not forget to thank her" Mouth reminded everyone as they piled into the limo after the dance.

"Thanks Brooke" everyone chorused.

"No problem" Brooke said. She was watching Lucas and Peyton at the other side of the limo laughing about something. Lucas glanced up at Brooke and then turned back towards Peyton.

"Hey baby did you have a good time tonight?" Felix whispered.

"You and I need to talk"

"Okay" Felix said, not looking the slightest bit worried.

"This is the first stop…Brooke's house…" the limo driver called.

"I'll see you guys later…" Brooke said, hugging everyone but Peyton and Lucas and indicating to Felix to get out of the limo.

"Bye Brooke!" everyone called.

"Bye guys" Brooke stepped out of the limo and stomped to the front door of her house.

"Hey! Brooke, why are so mad at me?"

"We've been dating for almost 6 months, Felix. And tonight you were practically having sex with that girl in front of me!"

"Well it's not my fault you wanted to sit at the table and mope about Lucas" Felix retorted.

"WHAT?"

"Don't act dumb, Brooke. Our entire relationship has been in vain- it was a tool to make Lucas jealous and now you're just mad because it's not working on him!"

"Is that what you really think?" Brooke asked, tears filling her eyes.

"Yes"

"Well, you win. It's true" Brooke said. "I don't know what it is about you Felix, but you attract my attention and I like the physical part of our relationship- but when I see Lucas my heart flutters and I can't breathe and that's just not how it is with you…"

"So I guess we're breaking up"

"I guess we are" Brooke said. "I'm sorry, Felix…"

"Don't be. It wasn't meant to be anyway. I was gonna do it soon"

"But you said you loved me earlier today"

"I say that to every girl" Felix said. "How do you think I get any?"

"You disgust me…get off of my property" Brooke said. She took off the necklace he had given to her and hurled it at him. "Woe be upon the next girl to fall for you"

"Woe be upon Lucas and having to deal with someone as PSYCHOTIC as you"

"LEAVE!" Brooke shouted.

Felix shot her a dirty look, turned around and walked to his car. "Have a nice life, whore!"

"Right back at you, asshole" Brooke yelled, opening the door to her house and stomping inside. She felt like smashing her mirror, but instead, she just collapsed on her bed and started to cry.

**A/N: Sorry it took SO LONG! Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

"Lucas, wake up" Karen said, shaking him lightly.

"What…mom" Lucas whined.

"You have to go to school, you know"

"Unfortunately" Lucas yawned, sitting up.

"You never told me how Homecoming was you came home and slept all day"

"It was…not the best time" Lucas sighed.

"Let me guess…Brooke" Karen said.

"Yeah, pretty much" Lucas said. "I mean, I went to the dance with Peyton and it was ok with her and everything, but it just isn't the same with her as it is with Brooke"

"Do you think Peyton likes you?"

"No, no…she's still not over Jake"

"Who's with Nikki?"

"Right"

"This is like a soap opera" Karen patted her son's back. "It'll be ok, Lucas. It's just high school and Brooke's just a girl" Karen said, getting up. "Breakfast will be ready in 10" she said, and left the room.

"But that's the problem…" Lucas said to himself. "She's not just a girl. She's _my_ girl"

_Over at Brooke and Haley's…_

"So today I'm going to totally ignore Nathan" Haley said. "And see how he feels about that"

"Hales…" Brooke laughed.

"You don't seem the slightest bit sad that you and Felix are over"

"It's because I'm not" Brooke said. "I'm single and ready to mingle!"

"Same here" Haley said.

"Explains why you're still wearing your wedding ring" Brooke teased.

"Yeah, well…" Haley said. "Just because I'm single doesn't mean I'm enjoying it"

"Yeah…I'm just glad to be free of Felix and…"

"And now Lucas might wanna be with you?" Haley asked.

"NO. He clearly likes Peyton" Brooke said calmly, but Haley could see the sadness when she said that.

"He doesn't. He told me he only went with her because he wanted a date"

"Right"

"I'm serious, Brooke. Lucas and I are best friends. I know when he's lying and when he isn't"

"Yeah but that doesn't really matter, Haley. He isn't into me anymore and I'm totally ok with that"

"Not true, Tigger! He spent the entire summer moping"

"Mhmm…with Peyton to comfort him"

"Ok…but they didn't do anything!"

"I highly doubt that"

"Come on, Brooke…you and Lucas give me so much hope- that maybe someday I could find someone who loves me so much" Haley said.

"You already found him, Haley. You're just a little lost"

"Right, a little lost as in he wants a divorce"

"WHAT?"

"Yeah"

"I swear to God if I was a 300 pound man I would beat that boy up" Brooke said.

"Thanks girly"

"Mhmm…"

_At school…_

"Well, well, well…look who it is" Rachel said to Brooke.

"It's my favorite slut…we didn't hang out at ALL at the dance" Brooke said, hugging Rachel.

"I know…I'm sorry" Rachel pouted. "I was absorbed with my date"

"Mouth?" Brooke looked at Rachel and let out a loud laugh. "You and Mouth made out"

"Shhh…we're keeping it on the DL"

"Right, ok. Like Mouth's gonna be able to keep shut about making out with RACHEL GATINA"

"Well, what can I say…and dare I say? Are Felix and Brooke…over?"

"Oh shush don't give me that sarcasm Rachel" Brooke said. "And yes, happy to report. Brooke Davis is single and ready to-"

"Sleep with every guy within a 10 mile radius of the whore house downtown?" a nasty, oily voice retorted.

"Actually, Felix, I would- but I'm afraid that would force me to be near you, so no, I decided to pass up the whore house" Brooke cocked her head to the side and smirked. Felix rolled his eyes and walked away.

Haley and Rachel high fived Brooke. "She's still got it!"

"Still got what?" Peyton asked.

"The ability to make nasty comments on a moments notice" Brooke said, staring directly at Peyton.

"Oh" Peyton said. "Yeah…well I'm gonna head to History so I'll see you guys later…"

"Have fun cutting your wrists" Brooke mumbled. Rachel cackled and high fived Brooke again.

"Mean girls…" Haley laughed, shaking her head and following Peyton down the hallway.

"No, no. We're not mean. We're just…conventional" Rachel said thoughtfully.

"Amen, sister" Brooke giggled, hugging her friend. "I'm gonna head to Math, catch ya at lunch?"

"Later, slut"

"See you at the brothel, whore" Brooke turned around and ran straight into Lucas.

"Hey, Brooke"

"Hey, Luke…" Brooke said.

"Are you heading to Math?"

"Yeah…we have it same period, remember?" Brooke laughed.

"Right…well, it's early in the morning" Lucas smiled. Brooke couldn't help but notice how cute he looked with his backpack slung over one shoulder

"Yeah, that's true" Brooke laughed. "So, how've you been since we last saw each other, which was like…a day ago?"

"Good, good"

"Did you and Peyton have fun at the dance?" Brooke asked, and Lucas noted a hint of bitterness in her voice.

"Look, I meant to talk to you about that" Lucas said.

"Why? Lucas, we're not together anymore. It's been almost a year"

"I know that, but some things never change, you know? I didn't know how you felt about seeing Peyton and I together again- I didn't know if it was gonna bring back bad memories"

"Look, Lucas" Brooke said, turning around. Now her eyes were flaming. "I'm long over you- I had a 6 month relationship with someone else and I could care LESS what you and Peyton do. Peyton and I aren't friends anymore and as far as I'm concerned, neither were you and I until you decided to attack me about you and Peyton, which I could care less about"

"Wait, all this time, you and I weren't friends?"

"We were friends for the sake of social appearance, Lucas. Friends don't cheat on each other, and its kind of a difficult thing to forgive. So therefore, the answer to that question is…no, we're not really friends"

"I'd like to change that" Lucas said. "Can we please just hang out some time, just you and me? Casually? In a public place?"

"We'll see"

"Cool" Lucas said, smiling, and walking to the other end of the room.

* * *

"He totally asked you out!" Haley said high fiving Rachel. "Our plan worked!"

"What plan?" Brooke asked.

"To get you and Luke back together"

"And what exactly did you do, may I ask?" Brooke asked, applying mascara.

"Nothing, really. We hoped?"

"Thanks, girls. But this is a friend thing since he freaked out when I said we weren't really friends"

"Nice line" Rachel said sarcastically.

"I totally mean it!" Brooke. "We're not anything but friends!"

"That's true" Rachel said, pointing a celery stick at her. "BUT you both are seeking to be more"

"Right, ok" Brooke rolled her eyes. The doorbell rang.

"He came to pick you UP? This is definitely a date" Haley called from the couch where she was hitting the Ben and Jerry hard.

"Hey, Brooke"

"Hey, Lucas" Brooke said. "Lemme go grab my purse"

"Ok" Lucas said. He watched her disappear into the room and turned to Haley, who gave him a thumbs up sign and Rachel, who winked.

"Ready?" Lucas said, rolling his eyes at Haley.

"Ready" Brooke said.

"So I thought we'd maybe go to dinner at the Square?"

"Sure" Brooke nodded, getting into the car.

"So, I wanna talk, Brooke. We haven't had a chance to catch up"

"Yeah…" Brooke said, smiling. Lucas caught his breath and then looked back at her.

"So how has life been treating you, Brooke Davis?"

"Okay, you?"

"Pretty good"

"How's your, you know…HCM?"

"You don't have to hesitate when you ask me, Brooke, its ok" Lucas laughed. It was chilly outside and he shrugged his jacket tighter around himself.

"I know, I thought it might've been a touchy subject"

"Nah…I'm ok with it"

"How's life without basketball?"

"It's kind of like I've lost an arm or a leg" Lucas said. "I mean, I still play it- but I can't do it on a team and 24/7 like I used to be able to…how is your designing going?"

"Good" Brooke smiled. She was surprising herself with how much she enjoyed talking with Lucas. She thought after he cheated on her and was so cozy with Peyton that she'd never like him as a person again, but that was beginning to change. The conversation between them flowed easily, and there weren't any awkward silences or lapses in it.

"I miss talking to you" Lucas said. "I hope we can start it up again"

"Yeah, me too" Brooke looked up at him and smiled, her eyes twinkling.

"Looks like we're here" Lucas smiled, holding the door open. "Reservations for two?"

"Right this way, Mr. Scott"

"I'm impressed" Brooke said, following Lucas to their table.

"Enjoy your meal"

"So, Ms. Davis" Lucas said. "Thanks for coming with me tonight…it really means a lot to me that you wanna be friends again"

"My pleasure" Brooke smiled. Randomly, "Kiss the Girl" from Little Mermaid played across Lucas's mind as he watched her hunt through her bag for something.

"So…what else have you been up to lately, Brooke?"

"Nothing, really. I just you know…I've been busy with DU not I duty and school and other stuff…"

"How're things with you and Peyton?"

"Of course" Brooke said tersely.

"What?"

"This whole thing was to see if Peyton and I were friends again so you could make a move on her?" Brooke asked.

"No, no…Brooke I was just asking" Lucas said. "That's totally not the reason"

"Right, ok" Brooke said.

"You just ruined it" Lucas said, shaking his head. "This was going to be a great night"

"I ruined it? Lucas, we've been beating around the bush for over 8 months now, and I keep telling myself and my friends that you and I don't like each other, but what's the point?"

"Well I wanted to pick that back up, Brooke! I wanna be with you!"

"But we CANT" Brooke said. "You don't understand. We don't work. We don't fit. We have raw passion and love for each other, but we're two very stubborn and ambitious people, we just don't work!"

"I know…but we can make it work…I want to be with you, Brooke. This wasn't a friend dinner I wanted it to move from here"

"I don't know if it will…" Brooke said softly. "I'm sorry, Lucas…I really like you, I do…but my heart is still aching and I don't trust you fully and…"

"I'm sorry you don't trust me, Brooke…I know what I did was wrong, but can't I have another chance?"

"I don't know…" Brooke sighed. "I really don't know"

* * *

"Nate! What are you doing here?" Haley asked, opening the door and letting him in.

"I came to talk to you"

"Yeah?" Haley asked.

"Are you pregnant?"

"Nate, I…"

"ARE YOU PREGNANT?"


	3. Chapter 3

"Nathan…I was going to tell you" Haley said.

"So you are?"

"Yes…"

"Is it mine, or Keller's?" Nathan asked.

"I can't believe you just asked that!" Haley cried.

"Please just answer my question" Nathan said, his voice straining.

"It's yours" Haley spat. "I didn't sleep with Chris" she said, storming to her room.

"Hales…Haley please wait!" Nathan called, running after her. She slammed the door shut and he heard the lock turn. "Haley!"

"Shut up and leave, Nathan!"

"Haley…" Nathan begged. "Please just open the door…we have to talk!"

"Fine" Haley opened the door.

"Come on, just please, sit on the couch and we'll talk?" Nathan suggested.

"Fine" Haley stomped to the couch and sat down so violently that the cushion sunk in completely and Haley fell into the couch.

First Nathan started laughing, and it took a few minutes for Haley to start laughing, and before they knew it, they had dissolved into hysterics.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah I'm fine" Haley said, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes.

"So, are we gonna talk?"

"What's there to talk about?" Haley said. "Nathan, you expressively SAID that having a kid would ruin your life"

"I know but I wasn't thinking when I said that"

"Are you ever thinking when you say anything?" Haley asked. The previously light hearted tone had disappeared and now there was tension in the air.

"To be very honest? No" Nathan said. "Are you REALLY mad at me?"

"Oh, Nathan" Haley laughed. "I can't be mad at you for my entire life, can I? How can I expect an 18 year old boy to be excited about being a father? And you weren't the one who ran off on tour, were you? I'm the one to blame for all of this, don't you see?"

"That's not true! Haley-"

"No, it is true. Nathan, I love you with every beat of my heart. I loved you since the day I met you and I will love you till the day I die. Nothing will ever change that. You have a piece of my heart and a part of my history that I simply cannot forget. But you and I aren't going to work; I don't think we're compatible. We'll go to the lawyer's later this week and work something out?" her voice gentle but he could hear a tremble.

Nathan desperately wanted to tell her no, that they could work this out. But he couldn't bring himself to do it. He nodded quietly, got up, and left. Haley watched the door closed and couldn't think of anything else to do but cry.

_Meanwhile…_

"Thanks for the dinner and everything, Luke" Brooke said. All of a sudden, the situation had become really awkward and Brooke wanted to leave.

"No problem, we should do it again" Lucas said. "I'll drive you home"

"I can walk" Brooke said.

"No, please let me" Lucas said.

"Ok, fine" Brooke said. Lucas paid and they got up to leave.

"So" Lucas tried making small talk as they drove in the car. "What're your thanksgiving plans?"

"Umm…I think I'm going to California?" Brooke said. "I'm not sure, you?"

"Same old same old" Lucas said, driving up to the apartment. "Here you are…thanks for coming tonight, Brooke. It really meant a lot to me"

"No problem…thanks for taking me out" she planted a quick kiss on his cheek and got out.

"Night!"

"Night" Brooke sighed, walking up to the apartment and letting herself in. "Oh my god, Haley!" she said when she saw Haley sobbing. "Haley, what's the matter?"

"Nathan and I are totally done" she sobbed. "And I'm pregnant and…"

"Oh, sweetie" Brooke sat down and put her arms around her best friend. "I'm so sorry"

"Where did we go wrong?" Haley laughed through her tears.

"When the hormones kicked in" Brooke laughed. "Haley, it'll all be ok…you know it will"

"I know it will…I just wish ok would come a little bit sooner"

**A/N: You all prolly hate me, its been like a month. I am SO busy…sorry!!! Review if you still love me!!**


	4. Chapter 4

"So what are you Nathan going to do?" Brooke asked as her and Haley collapsed on the couch after a long week of school. It was Friday night and neither of them had anything to do.

"Well he's coming over soon to discuss that"

"Oh, that means I'll bounce" Brooke said.

"No, you stay for emotional support"

"I don't want to intrude on something so personal, though" Brooke said.

"Don't worry…" Haley said, smiling a little to herself.

There was a knock on the door and Nathan walked in. To Brooke's surprise, Lucas followed in.

"Haley…" Brooke said.

"Ok, so I think Brooke and I will go" Lucas said. "Leave you two alone"

"Okay" Haley smiled at Brooke and Brooke rolled her eyes and got up to grab her purse.

"So where are we going?" Brooke asked Lucas when they walked out of the apartment.

"Wherever you want to go" Lucas said.

"The mall!" Brooke said.

"The mall it is" Lucas said, starting the engine of the car and backing out of the parking space.

"So I have a sneaking suspicion Haley planned this" Brooke said.

"Yeah…she's trying to get us back together" Lucas said nonchalantly.

"Ah, I see" Brooke said. "Talked to Peyton lately?"

"Yeah, but not much" Lucas said, looking at Brooke. "You?"

"Nope"

"So you guys aren't friends anymore?"

"Not really"

"You know she really needs you now, with the whole Ellie thing" Lucas said.

"I know, but she wasn't here for me when I needed her, and she's done some pretty unforgivable things, so I refuse to be the better person and get betrayed yet again" Brooke said.

"Yeah, that's true" Lucas was quiet.

"So what else have you been up to?" Brooke asked.

"Why are things so awkward with us?" Lucas asked as he parked in the parking lot of the mall.

"What?" Brooke hadn't expected this.

"Why are thing so awkward between us?" Lucas asked again. "Brooke, we were in love! We almost had a baby together and now the only questions we can ask each other are 'what have you been up to'!"

"Well let me think, Lucas. You cheated on me with my best friend. I think that'll suffice to make things awkward!"

"I know but I apologized! I thought things were ok between us! I thought we were friends" Lucas said.

"We _are_ friends, Lucas. But things aren't going to go back happy go lucky all of a sudden!" Brooke said. "Why are you bringing this up now?"

"I want it to be okay between us, Brooke" Lucas said. "It's important to me"

"Why is it so important to you? You don't seem to care that much about me" Brooke said. "I mean, from the way you treat me"

"You really think that?" Lucas asked.

"I really do" Brooke nodded.

Lucas turned to look at her, pulled her closer, and kissed her.

_Meanwhile…_

"So, what are we going to do?" Haley asked.

"Um…well I talked to the lawyer" Nathan said.

"And?"

"She said it would be in our best interest to live with each other for legal welfare reasons…unless we can't stand each other and it would create a bad environment for the baby" Nathan said.

"Oh…" Haley said. "Um, well"

"Can we not stand each other? Haley, we are married"

"I know…ummm…what about a legal separation?"

"Oh, yeah I forgot about that. Legal separation would be ok too" Nathan said. "But I didn't bring it up for a reason"

"And that reason would be?"

"I kinda wanted you to be forced to live with me so you'd fall in love with me again" Nathan confessed.

"Oh, Nathan…you think I'm not in love with you anymore?" Haley said sadly.

"Well…"

"Nathan, I love you more than anything in this world" Haley laughed. "Just because we're broken up doesn't mean I don't still love you"

"You still love me?"

"Of course" Haley said. "I love you, but that doesn't mean you and I will work"

"But it's you and I, Haley. We HAVE to work" Nathan said.

"I don't know, Nathan, I really don't know"

* * *

"So he just…KISSED you?" Rachel asked, popping a potato chip in her mouth.

"Yeah. Right there" Brooke said.

"Then what happened?"

"He drove home and dropped me off" Brooke said.

"He was probably embarrassed"

"Embarrassed that he likes me?"

"Embarrassed that he so rapidly confessed his love for you"

"He's done it before! He told me he loved me right before I flew like 3000 miles away"

"This is true"

"Life is SO confusing" Haley chipped in. "I told Nathan I was still in love with him"

"Like THAT'S a big surprise…tutor girl, you and Nathan are meant to be" Brooke said.

"Maybe not, though. If we can't work out once, who says we'll work out the next time?"

"Rachel and I do"

"Right, because you and Rachel have control over the universe" Haley laughed.

"We do" Brooke said. "And we say that Naley is forever"

"Well guess what Rachel and I say?" Haley said.

"What?"

"Brooke should forgive Lucas"

"Brooke SHOULD forgive Lucas…she just can't find the strength in her heart to be hurt again" Brooke said.

"Who says he's gonna hurt you again?" Rachel demanded.

"That's what boys DO, they hurt you…come on, look…Nathan was mean to Haley and nearly shattered her poor tutor-heart, and then Mouth decided to abandon you for Gigi, and Lucas cheated on me with Peyton…that's BOYS for you"

"I know, Brooke, but don't always look for the bad in everyone…I mean he really is trying to show you that he's changed" Haley said.

"I know, but I'm iffy about getting my heart broken so badly again…you guys know what I feel for Lucas, and how good or bad he can make me feel…I feel inferior to him at times"

"But you shouldn't" Rachel pointed out. "He's not _trying_ to make you feel inferior"

"I know that but I can't help it…it's like everything he does is perfect and everything I do is so messed up and dysfunctional" Brooke sighed.

"Boys…they confuse us to no end"

"Amen to that…" Brooke said. There was a knock on the door and Brooke went to the door to open it. There stood her father.

"Dad…what are you doing here?"

**A/N: DUN…DUN…DUN! Review…**


	5. Chapter 5

Brooke sat in her room, staring up at the roof in wonder. She didn't really know what to think, or what to say. Haley knocked softly on the door and brought in a glass of water and some crackers, but just the sight of food made Brooke want to throw up.

"Brooke, sweetie, how're you doing?"

"Not good" Brooke admitted.

"Come on, it wont be that bad"

"Haley, this is my home, this is where I grew up…I CANT MOVE TO CALIFORNIA!"

"Brooke, sweetie, your mother is dying of cancer…it would be selfish to stay here"

"I don't care about my mother" Brooke spat.

"Brooke!" Haley was shocked.

"Haley, listen. My mother cast me off to a party of 12 nurses from the day I was born and never bothered to turn her head to see how I was doing. She expects me to uproot my life to go mourn at her deathbed when she hasn't done jackshit for me my entire life?"

"I understand that, Brooke…but she is your mother"

"And I WAS her daughter, was I not?"

"I know…nobody wants you to go, Brooke, we're all going to miss you so much" Haley said, hugging her. "But some things you just have to do"

"And Lucas…what am I going to do about Lucas?" Brooke asked.

"Go talk to him…he was pretty upset about it"

"Ok" Brooke sighed, getting up. "I should go change my clothes or something so he isn't completely revolted at the sight of me"

"I don't think that's possible" Haley laughed. "Go!"

Brooke moved around lethargically, doing things that she was used to doing every morning in this room. It was hard to believe that in 4 days, she would be doing this in California, at Montgomery High School…definitely not Tree Hill High. She took a deep breathe to clear her head, which was going every which way, as she got in her car to drive to Lucas's house.

It was clear to her that she loved Lucas. She had tried to deny it for months and months, but the butterflies in her stomach just betrayed her. Every time she saw him her heart did cartwheels and jumps and she could barely make coherent sentences around him. But on the other hand, when they sat down to talk, their conversations flowed easily and it was obvious that they had chemistry.

She thought Lucas liked her. He certainly acted like that around her. But her problem was that she LOVED Lucas. And she wasn't sure whether he felt the same way, or if he was even attracted to her. She thought of how close Peyton and Lucas were and it made her stomach churn and made her want to turn around and go home. But she was moving to California for however long her dad saw fit, and she probably wasn't going to see many people again. So she sucked it up and continued driving.

She couldn't second guess herself now. She saw Karen's driveway and her stomach lurched. Turning off the ignition, she got out of the car and walked Lucas's door, and knocked softly.

"Brooke!" he said. "Hey, come on in"

"Hey Lucas" she said, walking into his room which seemed to foreign and unfamiliar, unlike before when she practically lived there.

"So, what's up?" Lucas said, sitting down on his bed.

"Well, I don't know if you've heard, but…I'm moving to California…4 days from now"

"I heard" Lucas said.

"And?" Brooke prompted.

"And I don't know what to say, Brooke. I don't want you to go, of course. But your mom's sick and if your dad thinks it's the best thing, then…"

"Great. That's just what I didn't want to hear" Brooke said.

"What do you mean?"

"Everyone's trying to justify what my father's doing! He's ruining my life! I just wish someone would tell me for once that what he's doing is UNFAIR and cry with me…that's all I want" Brooke whispered, tears forming in her eyes.

"Oh, Brooke…please don't cry" Lucas said, getting up and pulling her into his arms. "Of course what he's doing is unfair and horrible"

"I don't want to leave, Lucas" Brooke sobbed. "I don't want to leave Tree Hill, or Tree Hill High, or Haley or Rachel…Lucas most of all I don't want to leave YOU"

"I don't want you to leave me" Lucas hugged her tighter. "I'll do everything in my power to keep you here"

"Please save me like you save Peyton" Brooke said looking up at him. "I love you, Lucas. I love you more than I've ever loved you and it would kill me to leave you"

"I'll do everything I can" Lucas said. "Everything…I wont let you go"

* * *

"Hello, Mrs. Scott" the doctor said, coming in. "So, we ran some tests and everything looks great. You've been taking great care of yourself and the baby is healthy and happy- would you like to know the gender?" 

Haley and Nathan exchanged a look. Nathan nodded.

"Yeah, we'd like to know" Haley said. She felt Nathan take her hand and the doctor smiled.

"You're having a healthy and happy baby boy, Mr. and Mrs. Scott"

"Oh my gosh" Haley said. "A boy, Nathan"

"I know" Nathan smiled. "Thank you, Doctor"

"No problem…now Mrs. Scott, you need to keep up on your fluids and your vitamins and you should be able to feel the baby kicking anytime between now and a few weeks from now" the doctor smiled and wrote stuff on the clipboard, and then left.

"A boy" Nathan said. "I'm going to have a son of my own"

"Yeah…we are" Haley said. "We're having a baby, Nathan"

"Haley…I'm sorry" Nathan said, kissing her. "I'm sorry about everything that I've done and said…I just want our son to have a happy home"

"I know, me too" Haley said. "We'll talk, Nathan. We'll talk"

**A/N: Happy chapter! Kind of? Reviewww!!**


	6. Chapter 6

It was the morning of Brooke's flight to California. She hadn't slept the night before; she had stayed up all night talking with Lucas. He had tried and tried to explain to her that he couldn't convince her dad to let her stay here, and Brooke had cried till she had made herself sick. Now, she was lying awake in bed, and Lucas was dead asleep on the floor. She didn't want to leave Tree Hill. She knew flying back and forth was out of the question because of her parent's financial situation, and there's no way Lucas could afford more than one visit every 6 months.

She had cried and cried the night before, not only because she was leaving all the people and things in Tree Hill, but also because she felt like she was leaving her childhood behind. And messed up as it was for her, being a kid was the same across the board for everyone. The years where there's nothing to worry about but being a kid. Now Brooke had a new school to worry about, new people, and her dying mother who would probably want to repent for all her wrongdoings. California was an expensive place to live and her dad had made it clear that Brooke was going to get a job and help out. That was when it hit her. Moving to California was going to destroy her pretend crystal clear and beautiful life. Now she HAD to face it. She was poor, her mother was dying, and she was moving, literally, across the country.

Tears were starting to run down Brookes face as she lay thinking about all these things when she felt Lucas's arms around her.

"Baby girl, why are you crying?" Lucas asked.

"No reason, I'm ok" Brooke whispered.

"Brooke…" Lucas sighed, holding her tightly to him and kissing her forehead. "I'm so, so sorry"

"I don't want to leave you, Lucas" Brooke said.

"I'll be here, I promise. I'll call you every day and I'll write you and email you"

"But you won't be 5 minutes away"

"I'm always a phone call away" Lucas whispered, kissing her. "And should the need arise, I'm only a 5 hour flight away"

"I love you, Lucas"

"I love you too"

_Meanwhile…_

"Nathan!" Haley called from the bedroom.

"Yeah?" Nathan called back.

"Come here, look at what my mom sent us!"

"What?" Nathan asked, walking into the living room. He and Haley had spent 4 long days reconciling, and they had vowed that nothing was going to tear them apart again. And while they weren't going to get remarried just yet, that wasn't really an issue. Haley was back living with Nathan because Brooke was going to leave soon, and they were as happy as when they had first gotten married. Of course, everything wasn't perfect, it was never going to be. But for now, unperfect was perfectly fine with Haley.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Haley asked.

"It is" Nathan smiled, kissing her forehead. It was a hand sewn blanket with the words "Mommy and Daddy's Angel" on it.

"Have you thought of any names yet?" Haley asked Nathan.

"I have a couple in mind" he said. "But ultimately it's your choice"

"I'm excited" Haley smiled.

"Yeah, me too" Nathan said, kissing her.

"So what are we doing for Christmas?" Haley asked Nathan.

"I don't know, what do you want to do?"

"I kinda wanna go see my parents"

"That sounds like a good idea…but how about we invite them over here? Do it like a real married couple with in-laws"

"Aw baby if that floats your boat then they can come here" Haley laughed. "Is hurricane Taylor invited?" she giggled.

"Oh man, Haley…" Nathan shook his head.

"Kind of funny that you lost your virginity to my older sister and now you're the father of my baby…you get around Nate"

"Haley…" Nathan whined.

"I'm kidding baby doll" Haley laughed. "So how's Lucas taking Brooke leaving?"

"Not good…he sits in his room and stares at old pictures all day"

"It's difficult for him to let someone so important go" Haley said. "I feel bad for what Brooke must be going through, leaving Lucas"

"Yeah…it's really unfair…they're good people and they're so in love…this just came at a bad time" Nathan said.

"And right around holiday season too" Haley sighed. "I'm gonna have to get the decorations up soon!"

"Yeah, all those twinkly Christmas lights you love so much" Nathan teased.

"Hey…those twinkly lights are my childhood"

"I know I'm kidding…I'll put the lights up you're not lifting a finger"

"Nathan, I'm not disabled, just pregnant"

"Still…"

* * *

"I'm gonna miss you, you tramp" Rachel said to Brooke, squeezing her tightly.

"I know, I'm gonna miss you too" Brooke said, hugging Rachel.

"Bring me back some yummy Cali boys, ok?"

"I promise" Brooke said.

"Tigger…I'm gonna miss you roommate" Haley said.

"I know…you have to call and tell me every day how the baby's doing, ok?" Brooke instructed. "And I better be his godmother"

"I promise I'll call you every day"

"Take care of Haley and the baby, ok, Nate?" Brooke said, hugging her friend.

"Yeah" Nathan smiled.

"And Lucas" Brooke turned to Lucas. Everyone shifted away to give them privacy.

"I'll call you every single day baby girl" he said, kissing her. "I'll miss you with every breath I take…don't go hooking up with any hot Cali boys, ok?"

"Of course not…don't go hooking up with Peyton" Brooke said, making Lucas laugh.

"I love you, Brooke Penelope Davis" Lucas whispered. "Never forget that"

"I love you too" Brooke whispered back.

"Flight 365 to Los Angeles now boarding" the voice on the intercom blared.

"That's me" Brooke whispered. She grabbed her carry-on, kissed Lucas, and walked to where the flight attendant was checking boarding passes. As she walked down the tunnel to the plane, she turned and around to wave and desperate as she was to be strong for Lucas, she felt a tear escape her eye.

"I think I just watched my life walk away" Lucas laughed bitterly.

"Luke…don't ever forget what Brooke said…people who are meant to be always find their way back in the end"

**A/N: Review!**


	7. Chapter 7

It was 9 o'clock in Tree Hill, and Lucas lay awake on his bed, staring up at his ceiling. It was 6 o'clock in California, and jet-lagged Brooke lay awake on her new and unfamiliar bed, staring up at a new and unfamiliar ceiling. She could hear the whirr of the respirator her mother was on, and the ticking of her alarm clock. It was Sunday, and she was going to spend all day getting ready for her new school.

She felt her phone her vibrate and picked it up and looked at the screen. It was flashing "Lucas calling" and she answered it with a smile.

"Hey you"

"Hey pretty girl…I thought you'd be up…how's California?"

"Awful" Brooke whispered. "I miss you already"

"I miss you too, baby girl…more than you think I do" Lucas said. "But you have to be strong…strong for your mother and father and strong for me and most of all for yourself"

"I know, Lucas…I'm just so used to seeing Haley every morning and having Rachel come in and eat all our food and seeing you at school brooding…I miss it"

"Its only been a day, Brooke. You won't be as homesick soon"

"I'm coming back to Tree Hill right after graduation" Brooke said stubbornly.

"It's only 5 months away" Lucas comforted. "And Winter Break is soon. Maybe you could make a deal with your mom and dad to let you come here"

"Maybe" Brooke said. "I hope…how's everyone there?"

"Good…we miss you"

"Tell them all I miss them like crazy"

"I will" Lucas laughed. "Did you read the book I gave you?"

"The Winter of Our Discontent? The title is ironically like my life, but no, I drew dresses on the plane instead" Brooke laughed.

"It's a good book…plus you'll discover a few presents in there"

"Oh, I see" Brooke said. "Maybe I'll actually take it out of my suitcase"

"You put it in your suitcase?" Lucas laughed.

"Yeah, my suitcase missed you too, so I thought I'd give it a little piece of you"

"Oh…well tell your suitcase I miss it very much and also tell your suitcase that it needs to take very good care of this girl I know named Brooke Davis who I'm absolutely in love with"

"I love you too, Lucas" Brooke smiled. "I have to go, but I'll call you later"

"Ok…I love you, never forget that"

"I love you too" Brooke smiled, and hung up the phone.

She got up and shuffled through her suitcase till she found the book Lucas had given her. She opened the book and a folded piece of paper fell out. She unfolded it and immediately recognized Lucas's handwriting. Curious, she began reading.

_Dear Brooke…_

_I don't know where you are right now. You might be at the airport; you might be in the plane, in a taxi, or in your new home. But wherever you are, I wrote this letter to you so you know how much I actually care about you. I know we've been through lots of stuff together. Most of it's been my fault, but neither of us was flawless in our relationship. To me, the fact that we keep coming back to each other means something. It means that we're meant to be. At least I think we're meant to be. We fit each other perfectly, and when I'm with you there's nowhere else I'd rather be. It's broke my heart when you told me you were moving to California. It's gonna break my heart to see you walking down that drafty tunnel and onto that damned airplane. But Brooke, you have to understand something. I love you. I've loved you since the day you got me drunk, seduced me, and stole my virginity, and I'll love you till my dying day. Wherever we are, wherever we end up, whether it's together or apart, I will always, always, ALWAYS love you. Never forget that._

_Love, Lucas_

"Oh my gosh…" Brooke said, covering her mouth with her hand. "Lucas…"

"Brooke?" her dad came in.

"Dad! Hi" she said, turning around.

"Breakfast is ready, if you wanna go say hi to your mom first?"

"Yeah, I'll do that" Brooke said.

"Ok" her dad nodded, and left the room. She had seen a real change in her dad. He was no longer a workaholic with a hidden agenda and 3 mistresses. He realized he had a family and he had to care for them, and as bad as her life was right now, she noticed and appreciated that change.

Brooke got ready and went into her mother's room, where she was hooked up to lots of machines. She was awake and staring at the roof and Brooke sat down next to her.

"Hi mom"

"Hi, Brooke" her mom said, straining to speak.

"Are you feeling better?"

"A little" her mom whispered.

"I'll come visit you later, ok? I'm gonna go eat"

Her mother nodded and Brooke left the room to walk down the hall to the kitchen, where her dad had put out a bagel and cream cheese. She sat down and began eating it, staring at the plate, wondering where exactly her life had gone so wrong.

* * *

"Lucas! Stop worrying!" Haley commanded at lunch at the café.

"I'm just worried about Brooke" Lucas said. "She's in such a difficult situation right now"

"Lucas, she's not a baby" Rachel said. "She can take care of herself. Let her out on her own"

"I just don't want her to get hurt, is that a crime?"

"No, but Luke, you can't always be there supporting her through every little thing…she's gonna stand on her own two feet" Nathan explained.

"So you're suggesting I abandon my emotionally taxed girlfriend?"

"We're saying don't suffocate her" Haley said.

"She's 3000 miles away from me! How could I POSSIBLY suffocate her from that far away?"

"Luke, I've been your best friend for 15 years now. You manage to be as overprotective as possible even from very far away" Haley laughed.

"I just care about her so much" Lucas said. "I don't want to see her as upset as she was before, EVER. Especially if I can't fix it"

"I know, Lucas" Haley said. "You can care about her from far away and help her through it all without calling her every hour"

"I know…I'll tone it down" Lucas said.

"On a happier note" Rachel said. "Any baby names, Mommy and Daddy?"

"I have one" Haley said. "I just hope Nathan likes it"

"What is it?" Lucas asked.

"Are you mad? You don't get to find out for another 4 months"

"We have to wait till the baby's born?" Rachel whined.

"You have to wait till March" Haley giggled.

"Do I have to wait till March?" Nathan said. "This kid is half mine, you know"

"I know, I know" Haley said. "You'll find out soon"

"Ahhh…" Rachel said. "It better not be something like Eugene"

"OUCH" Lucas said.

"I was totally kidding" Rachel smirked at Lucas.

"Smart ass"

"Loser"

"Now, now, kids, lets be good at the dinner table" Nathan said sarcastically.

"You're becoming a dad already, Nathan. Congratulations dork!" Rachel joked.

"HEY…Nathan's gonna be a very good daddy" Haley said, kissing him.

"PDA!" Rachel and Lucas shouted.

The group dissolved into gales of laughter, but the ever observant Karen could tell that it just wasn't the same for Lucas without Brooke Davis's girly laugh and twinkling eyes.

**A/N: Review, please. I've gotten hardly any and I would appreciate your thoughts on the story so far. Oh, and I have NO idea what to name Haley's baby. Name suggestions???**


	8. Chapter 8

"Good morning, class…we have a new student today, her name is Brooke Davis and she is from Tree Town, North Carolina"

"It's Tree Hill" Brooke corrected.

"Tree Hill" her teacher said. "Please welcome her"

"Hey, Brooke" a blonde girl turned around as Brooke sat down. "What brings you to Cali from Small Town, USA?"

"Dad's job"

"Oh, well I'm Madison" the girl said, sticking her hand out.

"Brooke" Brooke laughed. "But you already knew that"

"Yeah" Madison smiled. "Let me know if you need anything"

"Ok" Brooke smiled, grateful for a welcoming face.

"And today, class, we're going to go over predicates…" her English teacher droned, and immediately Brooke tuned her out. While she was staring off into space, she realized that a guy was staring at her. He was the kind of guy that you could tell had a way with girls. He wore a smirk on his face and his hair was slicked back and he was sporting an Armani watch and from what Brooke could tell, the rest of his ensemble seemed pricey.

"Hey beautiful" he mouthed. Brooke rolled her eyes and looked away, not wanting to think about what Lucas would say if she responded to this sleaze ball's advances.

The bell rang for class to be out and Brooke got up to leave.

"Hey, I'm Carter" the guy said, getting up and making his way to Brooke's desk.

"And I'm not available"

"A feisty one, I see"

"Excuse me?" Brooke asked.

"Sorry, Brooke. Let's start this over again- Hi, I'm Carter"

"And like I said, I'm not available"

"Come on, now. I can't even take you out for a drink?"

"I'm sorry Carter but I have a boyfriend"

"It's a shame a pretty girl like you should be taken" Carter said.

"I have to go to my next class" Brooke said, rolling her eyes. "I'll see you later"

"Later, beautiful"

Brooke laughed and walked down the hallway to her next class. She had forgotten how boys could be. And while she thought Carter was slightly annoying, she couldn't help but like that guys were paying attention to her again. All of the ones in Tree Hill had given up all hope because she had been "Lucas's girl". And though she was always gonna be Lucas's girl, and she wouldn't have traded that for the world, it was nice that people were paying attention to her again.

"Hey, how was being badgered by Carter?" Madison, the girl who had introduced herself to Brooke, asked.

"It was interesting, to say the least" Brooke laughed.

"Madison Davis!" someone yelled. Madison smiled and waved.

"Your last name is Davis too?" Brooke asked. "Whoa, coincidence!"

"Yeah…it was going to be Visconti, but then I backed out at the last minute and said I didn't wanna be adopted by my step father"

"Oh"

"But now my biological father has appeared on the scene again…back from life in Europe"

"Oh"

"He claims he wants to make up for lost years" Madison rolled her eyes. "I didn't even know he was still alive"

"Oh, wow" Brooke said. "Sounds like you've had an interesting life"

"Some call it interesting, some call it the normal conundrum of 2006 society…girl searching for daddy, daddy missing from the scene, daddy coming back on the scene 18 years later…the usual"

"Yeah" Brooke said, fazed by the girls blunt openness.

"Anyway so its been me and my mom and my faithless rich stepfather for about 15 years now…when worse came to worse I just went and spent 50 grand to cover up my sorrows"

"Wow"

"Yeah, ok look this is my Economics class…but come find me at lunch and then we should go hang out, k?"

"Definitely" Brooke smiled. Even though this girl was kind of strange, she appreciated that someone didn't feel the need to go through the whole awkward stage of getting to know the other person. Like Brooke, Madison liked to jump right into it.

Her phone vibrated as she made her way down the hallway to Math, well aware that she was gonna be late.

"Hello?"

"How's the prettiest girl in all of California?"

"Lucas!" Brooke said, her voice immediately taking on a happier note.

"Hey baby girl"

"Aren't you supposed to be in class?" she asked.

"Just got out of school"

"Oh, I forgot, the time difference" Brooke said.

"Yeah…where are you headed?"

"Math"

"No more Shiccatano to tell you how to do Calculus, huh?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah…how is that old man?"

"He misses his most beautiful student"

"I love you too" Brooke laughed. "I gotta go…call me later?"

"Bye" Lucas said. "I love you!"

"Bye" Brooke laughed, walking into class and sitting down.

_Meanwhile…_

"Nathan Scott! Where did you hide my Math book?!" Haley shrieked.

"Haley, you're pregnant and TIRED…the doctor said you needed rest. I can't let you study" Nathan reasoned from the couch.

"But we have Midterms soon!" Haley whined.

"You need sleep, angel"

"Don't angel me…I need to study so I can actually go to college and give this kid a future" Haley said.

"Haley, you're going to Duke"

"I know, but Duke is gonna kick me out if I slack off"

"Hales…"

"Nate…"

"Behind the Christmas jars"

"You little sneak"

"I love you?"

"Isn't gonna work!" Haley yelled from the pantry. As she shifted through the stuff, a little box caught her eye. Unable to resist, she opened it and gasped. Sitting there was a diamond ring and a platinum wedding band. She stared at it for a moment, not believing how beautiful and expensive they looked. Then a new thought came into her mind.

_Was Nathan going to repropose?_

"Haley, what's taking you so long? Can't you find it?"

"No, I found it!" Haley said, hurriedly putting back the box where she found it and closing the pantry door. "You did a good job hiding it though"

"Thanks" Nathan laughed. Haley came and sat down next to him.

"Aren't YOU supposed to be studying too?" Haley teased.

"Senioritis"

"Nathan…" Haley whined, kissing him. "Help me study…"

"I'll study you" Nathan said, kissing her back. "How about that?"

"That's a good subject" Haley giggled.

_A few hours later…_

"Brooke moved to CALIFORNIA?" Peyton asked, shocked. "When did this happen?"

"While you were cutting yourself" Rachel snorted.

"Rachel!" Haley said, smacking her.

"Why did she move?" Peyton asked, genuinely curious.

"Her mom has cancer and her lung collapsed"

"Wow" Peyton said, shocked. "I was her best friend for 10 years and she didn't even let me know she was moving across the country"

"Well, no offense Peyton, but she hates your guts"

"I don't blame her" Peyton gave a sardonic laugh. "I hate my own guts"

"EMO" Rachel coughed.

"Rach!" Haley reprimanded.

"I'm allowed to make mean comments about Peyton; it's within my rights as Brooke's best friend"

"Oh, so you're Brooke's new best friend now?"

"Yeah, I am" Rachel said. "And at least I'm not gonna be a backstabbing whore"

"Thanks" Peyton said.

"No problem" Rachel replied.

"Come on" Haley said. "It's holiday season! Can't we all love each other?"

"Aren't pregnant women supposed to be pissy?" Rachel demanded.

"NO! I'm not hormonal. I'm happy. I am going to be bearing life and I have a fabulously delicious and amazing husband. Why would I be pissy?" Haley asked.

"GAG ME!" Peyton and Rachel said at the exact same time.

"See, you guys might have something in common other than Brooke"

"Maybe…come on, Hales…can I just have Brooke's cell number? I know she hates me a lot, but I need to at least speak to her"

"I don't know, Peyton"

"Come on?"

"Ok, but don't say anything mean to her- she's going through a lot right now"

"Of course" Peyton said.

Haley gave her Brooke's number, and Peyton entered it into her cell phone.

"So, ladies, are we off to shop for my baby boy?"

"We're off…" Rachel and Peyton rolled their eyes and grabbed their purses, ready for another round of pretend squealing over tiny clothes.

* * *

Lucas Scott sat on his front porch, sipping some herbal tea and listening to his iPod. The dulcet tones of Mariah Carey blared through and Lucas vaguely wondered who on earth put Mariah Carey on his iPod, when he realized it must've been Brooke. He smiled to himself, thinking about his girlfriend, and had a sudden urge to call her.

He hit 1 on his speed dial and was disappointed when he got sent straight to her voice mail.

"Hey, Brooke…it's me, Lucas. I missed your pretty voice, baby girl, and I wanted to hear it. Call me anytime of the day or night, ok? I love you"

He hung up the phone and stared at the blinking screen for a few seconds. So much had changed so fast, he couldn't even keep up with it. Haley and Nathan were having a baby, his mom was pregnant, Dan was nice again, Brooke had suddenly moved across the country, Peyton was in love with him and Skills was the new star of the Ravens team. It was all too much to take, and Lucas felt alone with no one to talk to. Haley was busy patching things up with Nathan and shopping for the baby, Keith was gone, and he didn't think he could handle Peyton's confessions of love again. It was him and his thoughts or him and his diary.

His phone vibrated, and he smiled when he saw the display. _Brooke calling_ it flashed.

"Hello?"

"BOYFRIEND!"

"Hey pretty girl"

"I got your message; sorry…I was hanging out with some new friends"

"Sounds like you're adjusting pretty quickly"

"I am" Brooke smiled, and Lucas could hear it. "How're you doing?"

"I miss you, that's about it"

"Aw, baby I miss you too" Brooke said. "We'll see each other soon"

"We will?"

"I sure hope so" Brooke said. "I'm working on getting tickets home for winter break, but I don't think it's gonna happen…not this year"

"Brooke…I really hope you can come…I miss you more and more each day"

"Hang in there, Luke…" Brooke said. "You helped me so much and now I wanna help you, but I'm afraid there's something you're not telling me"

"That's not true, there's nothing going on"

"Lucas, come on…I'm 3000 miles away from you…if we can't talk, then our relationship is shot"

"I understand that…" Lucas said. "I don't wanna sound like a pathetic ninny, but I miss you so much I cant sleep…I would give anything for you to be here with me, ANYTHING. I'm alone right now, there's so much going on and no one's stopping to listen to me"

"Lucas, sweetheart, I am only a phone call away…always remember that" Brooke comforted. "If you need to talk, call me, any time of the night or day, like you offered for me. I don't always want to have you saving me, ok? I can save you sometimes too"

"I'm glad you're here to save me, Brooke" Lucas smiled, feeling a little bit better. "I just wish I could see your pretty face every day"

"I wish I could see you everyday too…I miss you more than you can imagine" Brooke said.

"Have you been reading the book?"

"Yeah…and I've been finding some very interesting things in there…like that letter…Lucas that made me cry!"

"Was it that bad?"

"No, cry happy tears you silly goose"

"Oh…good to know" Lucas said sheepishly. "I felt kind of embarrassed being so open, but you know. Anything for you"

"And I found that picture…and the napkin from Blue Post Billiards…Lucas Eugene Scott, you are amazing" Brooke said.

"Well, if I do say so myself…" he laughed. "I hope I can be with you for Christmas" he whispered.

"All I want for Christmas is you" Brooke whispered back. "Nothing else"

Right then and there, Lucas made up his mind. He didn't intend on robbing Brooke of her only Christmas wish. All Brooke wanted for Christmas was him, and goddamnit, she was gonna have him.

**A/N: Review, please! Hope everyone had a fabulous Christmas/Hannukah/Kwanza whatevs! I prolly won't update before New Years, so HAPPY NEW YEAR! YEEEAHH 2007!**


	9. Chapter 9

_I love you_

_And I've loved you all along_

_And I miss you_

_Been far away for far too long_

_I keep dreaming you'll be with me and you'll never go_

_Stop breathing if I don't see you anymore…_

Brooke's favorite song blared through her speakers on Christmas Eve. She was reluctantly getting ready, but really, she wanted to sit in her bed and sob. She hadn't been able to make enough money to go to Tree Hill for Christmas, and Lucas definitely couldn't come to California. Now it was Christmas 2006, her mother was on the verge of death, her boyfriend was 3000 miles from her, her dad was working, and she had about 3 presents to open. Even though she had promised Lucas that she'd be strong for him and herself, she couldn't help but feel sorry for herself. I mean, she was a pretty girl of 18. She didn't deserve a life full of hardship, did she?

Lucas Scott sat at the airport in Nevada, smiling slyly to himself. Brooke thought she'd be alone on Christmas. She thought Lucas had truly abandoned all hope of seeing her on Christmas. But that was far from the truth. As he intently read his Steinbeck book, he could hear Peyton and Rachel chattering to Haley and the beeps coming from Nathan's cell phone. How had 5 teenage kids come up with the money to fly all the way to California?

His name was Dan Scott. And he owed a whole hell of a lot to the people he had wronged in his life. Karen was sitting next to Lucas, drifting off into sleep. Andy's arm was around her, and it looked like he was pretty close to sleep himself. Dan had decided to spend Christmas at home with his wife, maybe in hopes to patch things up with her.

In about 3 hours time, Lucas, Peyton, Haley, Nathan, Rachel, Andy, and Karen were going to surprise Brooke for Christmas Eve. They had already called her father, and he had said only Lucas could live with them, for housing purposes. Everyone else had reserved spaces at a nearby hotel. Brooke had no idea what was coming. She thought she was going sit and open one present, watch a Christmas movie, and fall asleep with the dog. Little did she know soon her entire Christmas was going to be filled with merry chatter and plenty of presents to go around.

"I am SO glad we're doing this for Brooke" Peyton said.

"Are you sure she's not gonna slap Peyton and send her out the door?" Haley inquired worriedly.

"Hales, Brooke would never do that" Lucas defended his girlfriend.

"I know, but she really hates Peyton…no offense Peyt"

"None taken" Peyton laughed. "I'm gonna apologize to her. Life is too short for a friendship to end over a boy"

"No matter how cute he is" Lucas chimed in.

"Eh, the boy Brooke and I fought over wasn't that great" Peyton teased. "He was kind of mediocre…a little bit too girly"

"HEY!" Lucas protested. "I take that personally"

"I'm sorry" Peyton laughed. "Brooke thinks you're perfect"

"Yeah, she's pretty much perfect too" Lucas said. Peyton noticed that his eyes lit up like lights every time someone mentioned Brooke. And even though Peyton was convinced that she was over Lucas, she couldn't help but wish that if not Lucas's, but SOMEONE'S eyes would light up when they saw her. Her mind flashed to Jake but she pushed that thought out of her mind. He was too busy and stressed chasing Nikki for Jenny, and love was the last thing on his mind. His responsibility as of now lay to no one but his daughter, and Peyton had accepted that she was not slotted into his grand scheme of things. One day, her mother had read her in the fairytale books, one day, the perfect boy would come along. The one who loved you the most, the hardest, the best, and would do anything for you. Peyton had believed that when she was little, she believed it now, and 70 years from now when she lay dying, she knew she would believe it then.

"Peyton, are you still alive?" Haley laughed.

"Yeah, sorry, I was lost in my thoughts…so anyway, we were thinking about boys names?"

"Yeah…" Haley laughed.

"How about Aidan?" Rachel suggested.

"NO!" came a muffled protest from Nathan, whose face was buried underneath a sweatshirt.

"Michael?"

"No" Haley countered.

"Carter?" Peyton suggested.

"NO!" everyone said.

"Jeez, it's Christmas, you bunch of Scrooges"

"How about Lucas?" Lucas suggested.

"How about not?" Nathan asked.

"OUCH"

"Well, it'd be weird to look at my kid and think of you"

"Thanks, man"

"No problem, man"

"How about…Nathan?" Karen suggested, now awake from her nap. "Never a bad thing to name a child after his parent"

"I have issues with that" Haley said. She sat there thoughtfully and then suddenly cried "Oh!"

"What?"

"I have the name! I have the perfect name!" Haley squealed like she had won the lottery.

"What is it?" everyone asked.

"I'm not telling you!" she teased.

"Aw…come on"

"Sorry…only a few more months"

"Flight 786 to Los Angeles, California, now boarding"

"That's us!" Lucas said. "Lets go, I wanna see the love of my life"

"Lets go, I wanna see my best friend" Rachel said.

"Lets go, I wanna stop flying" Andy moaned. "I hate flying"

"Babe, you go to New Zealand all the time" Karen commented.

"I know, love, but I just drug myself…I forgot my Sonata at home"

"I have some NyQuil?" Rachel suggested.

"No thanks, love. I'll suffer through another hour and half"

_**A few hours later…**_

_This time, this place, misused mistakes_

_Too long, too late, who was I to make you wait?_

_Just one chance, just one breath, just in case there's just one left_

_Cause you know, you know, you know_

_I love you_

_I've loved you along_

_And I miss you_

_Been far away for far too long_

Brooke listened to her favorite song on repeat. She had her best sweater on and she had done her makeup. She had spent an hour reading to her mother, she had walked the dog, she had fed the fish, she had done her homework, and she had done the dishes, vacuumed the living room, cleaned the kitchen, and weeded the garden. She felt like a robot set on "efficient".

That was all she was these days. She was poster child for helping mommy and daddy through a crisis. Her dad had feared that Brooke was going to lash out destructively and make more problems. But she had done everything and more. The house was spotless when he came home, dinner was always prepared, her homework was done, her grades were soaring, and she was the picture of responsibility. But her dad could sense she was slowly dying inside. Her fire was gone. And he knew the only person he could light that fire again was a boy by the name of Lucas Scott. So he had phoned home, and offered to pay for just Lucas's flight. Dan had intervened with an absolutely not and had done the unthinkable un-Scrooge thing and paid for 5 tickets to California.

The doorbell rang and Brooke thought it was gonna be the neighbors bringing cookies, like they did all the time. But when she opened that door, she nearly fainted. There, in front of her, stood her Tree Hill family.

* * *

"I have no idea how you guys pulled that off" Brooke said, happily passing around eggnog. It was amazing how much she had missed these people. She couldn't be happier. It was literally the Christmas of her dreams. 

"We missed you a little too much to leave you on Christmas" Haley said. Brooke couldn't stop hugging everyone. She had pleasantly ignored Peyton and wondered vaguely why she had even come. But right now she was concentrating on her guests, who she couldn't be more excited to have with her.

"Is it cold in Tree Hill?" Brooke asked wistfully, thinking of the snowy North Carolina weather compared to LA's weather.

"Yeah it'll snow soon" Lucas said. He couldn't stop staring at Brooke and how pretty she looked. "Come sit down and talk, we can all serve ourselves" he said. Brooke smiled and sat down next to Lucas, and he put his arm around her.

"How was your flight?" Brooke's dad asked everyone.

"It was good" Haley said. "Long, as usual"

"Yeah, California flights are long…almost the same thing as going to England" Andy said.

"Ok, well, I think we're going to go to the hotel" Karen said. "Freshen up and such, and then come back for dinner, ok?"

"Ok" Brooke said. "Luke, why don't you stay here with me?"

"Ok" Lucas said. Everyone filed out and Brooke's dad went to take a nap, and it was just Brooke and Lucas.

"Alone at last" Lucas said, wrapping his arms around her.

"Yeah" Brooke smiled, kissing him. "Come on; let's sit on the patio swing outside"

"Ok" Lucas followed her out to the swing, where they sat, the swing swaying slowly.

"I missed you" Brooke said in a small voice.

"I missed you too, pretty girl…every single day" Lucas said. "Even when I talked on the phone with you I missed you"

"I wonder if I'll see you before summer" Brooke said. "I know you all came here, and that's wonderful, but I don't know if I can come to Tree Hill before summer…I'm going to UNC, I have money in my college fund and I'm still considered a resident"

"I think I'm going to UNC too" Lucas said. "That's what's best for me, I don't wanna be too far from my mother"

"How far are Haley and Nathan gonna be from us, going to Duke?" Brooke asked, pushing her toe against the ground to get the swing to sway back and forth again.

"I don't know… not too far" Lucas whispered, kissing the top of her head.

"Hopefully"

"I wish we could sit here like this forever, just the two of us" Lucas said.

"Just Brooke and Lucas" Brooke agreed.

"Just Broody and Cheery"

**A/N: Review, please! I haven't been getting very many!**


	10. Chapter 10

"10…9…8…7…" everyone was in Brooke's living room, counting down to the New Year. It was the loudest thing Brooke had heard in weeks; usually everything was dead silent for her mother. To her utter and complete surprise, her mother had begun to sit up, and was strong enough that the doctors said they could start the chemotherapy immediately.

"6…5…4…3…2…1…HAPPY NEW YEAR!" everyone yelled. Lucas grabbed Brooke and pulled her into a passionate kiss, Haley and Nathan and Karen and Andy did the same. Peyton contented herself with being kissed by Brooke's fluffy prissy little dog, Snowflake, and Rachel kissed a picture of Jude Law.

"Happy New Year, best friend" Brooke said to Peyton, hugging her tightly. They had spent 6 long hours the other day, getting everything out in the open. Plenty of tears were shed, sorries said, promises made, and things repaired. Peyton and Brooke had both agreed that it was gonna take serious work to patch up their friendship, but they both knew their 10 year old friendship was too precious to lose.

"It's 2007!" Haley yelled. "My baby boy is gonna be born in 2007"

"Well, what did you think? He'd randomly pop out 2 seconds before?" Brooke teased.

"No, but wow…2007" Haley said. "Another year gone, a new one before us"

"You sound like Shakespeare" Rachel said. "Eww"

"Come on, who wants some coke?" Brooke said.

"Like the drug?" Haley asked, confused.

"I fear for tutor baby"

"Can we please not call him tutor baby?"

"Well, if we knew what his real name is going to be, we could call him that" Brooke bargained.

"Fine, fine…" Haley said, smiling up at Nathan. "It's the best name ever"

"It encompasses our entire family and remembers someone very special" Nathan said.

"It is…?" Brooke asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet, eager.

"Cooper James Scott"

"AWW, tutor wife! That's a perfect name!" Brooke squealed, hugging Haley. "It's absolutely amazing!"

"That is good" Rachel admitted.

"Beautiful" Karen nodded.

"I'm still mad he's not Lucas" Lucas said.

"He should've been Peyton" Peyton said. Everyone looked at her oddly. "What? Peyton can be a guy name"

"It can…" Brooke said.

"Anyway, Cooper James is beautiful" Karen said. "Congratulations, Haley. A perfect name is a very special thing"

"I know" Haley glowed with happiness.

"When are you due, exactly?" Rachel asked.

"March 17th" Haley said. "I'm super excited"

"I have to come help decorate his room!" Brooke said. "It has to be blue and yellow"

"I don't want my son to be a priss" Nathan complained.

"He's not gonna be a priss you go egotistical little boy" Brooke said, smacking Nathan. "He's gonna be in touch with his feminine side"

"No way!" Nathan, Lucas, and Andy protested.

"I think boys should be in touch with their feminine side" Brooke said.

"I agree completely" Haley said.

"No" Rachel and Peyton protested. "We like manly men"

"Yeah" the boys nodded vigorously.

"Personally, a sensitive guy is way sexier…" Haley said, kissing Nathan.

"See, when she does that…" Nathan said. "Then I can't help but be sensitive"

"You are so whipped, man" Lucas said.

"Look whose talking" Nathan retorted.

"This is true" Lucas admitted.

"I've got Lucas wrapped around my finger" Brooke giggled, rummaging through the pantry for snacks.

"Well, we should go" Karen said, yawning. "I'm exhausted and I really wanna hit the sack"

"I'll stay here" Lucas said.

"Yeah I need to clean up the hotel room and start packing stuff back up" Peyton said. Lucas's eyes flicked to Brooke, whose face immediately darkened.

"Yeah, that's a good idea…we'll go sight seeing tomorrow" Brooke said, and bid everyone farewell.

"Happy New Year" Lucas said, hugging Brooke from behind and kissing her cheek.

"Yeah" Brooke said.

"Cheery?"

"Yeah?"

"What's bothering you?"

"Nothing" Brooke said. "I'm happy, see? It's New Years!" her voice trembled and she was on the verge of tears.

"Brooke…" Lucas said, sitting down and pulling her into his lap. He brushed her hair out of her eyes gently and held her hand. "Are you feeling ok?"

"I'm fine…" Brooke said.

"Then why are you crying?"

"Lucas! Don't you see?"

"See what?"

"You're leaving, soon! Lucas, I can't deal with you leaving me already"

"Baby, where is this coming from?" Lucas asked, genuinely confused.

"Peyton's already packing her things up! We just patched up our friendship…and you're leaving me. Lucas, I won't see you till June"

"You know I'm a phone call away" Lucas said, hugging her tightly.

"You can't go, Lucas, you can't go! Do you know what will happen to me if you go? I'll return to be being the boring Brooke Davis I've been since I've come to this godforsaken state! You light a fire in me, you make me happy, you make my world a happier place…I can't have you for a week and then see you go!" Brooke sobbed.

"Pretty girl, you're gonna make me cry too" Lucas said softly. "I don't know what to say, Brooke"

"Make it all ok, Lucas…make it all ok" she sobbed, burying her face in his chest.

"I will" Lucas promised her, whispering into her hair. "God as my witness, I will make it all ok"

* * *

"Nathan…there's a spider on the wall" Haley poked Nathan. 

"Hales, it's 2 am…the spider isn't gonna eat you"

"Nathan!" Haley shrieked.

"Ok baby I'll kill the spider" Nathan said. "Hales. It's barely visible"

"Besides the point! Nathaniel Scott…!"

"Oh god, the full name…I'll get my shoe" in one swift motion, Nathan killed the spider.

"Nathan, don't ever tease me like that" Haley whined.

"I didn't know you were so terrified of spiders"

"I am, believe me" Haley said. "And cockroaches and wasps…"

"And hot boys like me?" Nathan whispered.

"And hot boys like you" Haley kissed him.

"Are we really going to have sex at 2 AM when Andy and Karen are in the next room?" Nathan asked. "Not that I'm objecting"

"Why not…?"

"Feisty…"

"Bring it on, Nathan Scott, bring it on" Haley giggled, kissing him again.

_Meanwhile…_

"Brooke, sweetheart…please try to fall asleep" Lucas whispered into her hair.

"I can't" Brooke said. Tears were still glistening on her face.

"Brooke…look at me…listen to me" Lucas said.

"What?"

"I love you. I have loved you since the day you showed up naked in my car. I will love you till your dying day, till we're both old and wrinkled and decrepit. Nothing will change that. We are meant to be, Brooke, don't you see? We are meant to be. Nothing will keep us apart. Distance is merely a superficial thing. Our love for each other, what we feel in our hearts when we see each other- nothing can tear that down. Not 3000 miles, not one night stands, not parents or fights or ANYTHING. This being apart- this is gonna last 6 months. And then we'll be together, forever. I will save you, Brooke Davis. I promise I will make everything ok" he said, kissing her. "I love you, Cheery Davis. I love you."

"I love you too" Brooke sobbed into his chest. "I want this to be over. I want my mom to be ok. I want my dad to be rich again, I know that sounds superficial but I do. I want you to be with me, day and night. I want everything to be ok"

"Remember what my mom said. If God brings you to it, he'll bring you through it" Lucas comforted. "A few more months, and its you, me, UNC, and a whole new life ahead of us. For better or for worse, I will **never let you go**, Brooke. Never."

"What did I do to deserve you?" Brooke asked.

"The better question is what did I do to deserve YOU?"

"Eh, you were kinda cute"

"Not to mention irresistibly sexy"

"Yeah, that too…" Brooke laughed. Lucas gently wiped her tears and kissed her on the forehead.

"Now get some sleep, Cheery. I don't want a groggy tour guide"

**A/N: Review, please!!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: The song is "I'm Already There" by Lonestar. Please read the lyrics, that's the whole point of this chapter.**

Brooke sat on her bed, crying. Everyone had left to go back to Tree Hill. Everyone including Lucas.

She had hugged them good bye, being strong and efficient Brooke, settling back into her boring California self. She had briskly kissed Lucas on the cheek and squeezed his hand. Their real goodbye had been last night, with lots of tears and promises filling the air.

_A few hours earlier…_

"_I promise I'll see all of you in June" Brooke said. "Expect me!"_

"_We will" Peyton said, hugging her best friend tightly. "B. Davis, be strong"_

"_I will…strength is my new forte" Brooke laughed, though she really felt like crying._

_Everyone shifted away to give Brooke and Lucas privacy and made their way to where the flight was boarding._

"_So, Cheery" Lucas said, hugging her. "We'll see each other soon"_

"_We will" Brooke whispered, fighting the tears. "I love you"_

"_I love you too, pretty girl…here, I made a CD for you" Lucas said._

"_Thanks, I'll listen to it when I get home" Brooke said, kissing him. "Now go, your flight is boarding"_

"_I love you…never forget that"_

"_I wont" Brooke blew him a kiss and smiled, so his image of her would be a smile on her face, not the tears that she felt welling up in her eyes._

Brooke remembered the CD, and got it from the bedside table. She opened the cover and read the note Lucas had written:

_Cheery-_

_You know I'm not much of a country person, but I know you are. Every time you miss me, listen to this song. I heard it on the radio and thought it'd be good. And every time I miss you, I'll listen to this song too. I love you!_

_Broody_

_P.S. Don't turn this note over until after the song!_

Brooke played the track and as she listened to the song, she felt tears building back up.

_He called her on the phone_

_From a lonely cold hotel room_

_Just to hear her say I love you one more time_

_But when he heard the sound of the kids laughing in the background_

_Had to wipe away a tear from his eye_

_Little voice came on the phone_

_Said "Daddy when you coming home?"_

_He said the first thing that came to his mind_

"_I'm already there_

_Take a look around_

_I'm the sunshine in your hair_

_I'm the shadow on the ground_

_I'm the whisper in the wind_

_I'm your imaginary friend_

_And I know_

_I'm in your prayers_

_Oh, I'm already there"_

_She got back on the phone_

_Said "I really miss you darling_

_Don't worry about the kids they'll be alright_

_Wish I was in your arms, lying right there beside you_

_But I know that Ill be in your dreams tonight_

_And Ill gently kiss your lips_

_Touch you with my fingertips"_

_So turn out the light and close your eyes_

_I'm already there_

_Don't make a sound_

_I'm the beat in your heart_

_I'm the moonlight shining down_

_I'm the whisper in the wind_

_And I'll be there until the end_

_Can you feel the love that we share?_

_Oh I'm already there_

_We may be a thousand miles apart_

_But I'll be with you wherever you are_

_I'm already there_

_Take a look around_

_I'm the sunshine in your hair_

_I'm the shadow on the ground_

_I'm the whisper in the wind_

_And I'll be there until the end_

_Can you feel the love that we share?_

_Oh I'm already there_

_Oh I'm already_

_There_

Now tears were freely running down Brooke's face. She turned the note over and read it.

_I'm always with you, Brooke. Always. _

_Somewhere over the US…_

"Luke, you ok?" Karen asked her son.

"Yeah, I will be"

"You miss Brooke, don't you?"

"I do" Lucas sighed. "A lot"

"I'm sure she misses you too"

"I just don't want her to be upset and sad"

"She won't be. She's a brave and strong girl…and always remember what I said"

"If God brings you to it, he'll bring you through it" Lucas repeated.

_Back in California…_

"Brooke, you ok?" her mom's nurse asked. She had moved in after Brooke's mother's condition had deteriorated, but with her mother feeling better each day, the nurse was no longer needed and was packing things up.

"Yeah"

"Do you need anything?" she had also assumed role of housekeeper.

"No…I'll be ok…you know what someone really wise once said?" Brooke said, a smile spreading across her face.

"What?" the nurse asked.

"If God brings you to it, he'll bring you through it"

"Amen"

**A/N: If you guys don't review, I'm not gonna update. Plain and simple.**


	12. Chapter 12

Brooke was sitting in AP Literature, twirling her hair around her pencil. She was bored to tears and Madison wasn't in this class period. She contemplated text messaging Lucas but then remembered that his phone didn't have it. Then she contemplated text messaging Madison but decided that it wasn't worth getting in trouble over.

Lately, Brooke had been antsy. She'd been crazy busy, but she'd been antsy. Her mother was undergoing chemotherapy and getting better everyday, her dad had gotten a big promotion, and Brooke's schoolwork was going good. All in all, life wasn't the complete disaster that it had been a couple of months ago when she had moved to California.

It was February, and Valentines Day was coming up soon. Brooke wished Lucas could've been with her, but she knew he couldn't and she preferred not to think about it. She preferred to think about other things that made her happy, like how Haley's baby was due in 2 months and how excited she was to go home in June.

She and Lucas talked every day multiple times, of course. She hadn't seen him since January but she was content that he wanted Brooke and only Brooke, and Haley and Peyton and Rachel had been duly reporting back to Brooke about her boyfriend's actions and they were all very PG rated.

In California, her life was going great. She and Madison had become really good friends really fast. Brooke was at Madison's sprawling mansion every day after school, and she was glad she had found such a good friend so fast. Carter Alcott, the guy that had hit on her on the first day had quickly become another one of her best friends and confessed to her that he was madly in love with Madison.

The bell rang and Brooke sighed with relief. The school day was over and now she could go to Madison's and hang out.

"Hey Brooke" Madison said, catching up with her friend.

"Maddie!"

"Are we heading to my place?"

"As always" Brooke laughed. Madison's house was a short drive from school and definitely the more comfortable of the two homes to be in. Since it was second semester senior year and Brooke had already been accepted into UNC, she could care less about work and made sure her average floated around a high C.

"Carter's coming too" Madison said, blushing a little.

"Aw…Mr. and Mrs. Alcott" Brooke teased.

"Brooke!" Madison exclaimed.

"What? You know it's SO true"

"_Carter_ and I? Are you kidding me? You know I like him but you know how dysfunctional that relationship would be?"

"Not necessarily" Brooke compromised. "Lucas and I were pretty much a train wreck the first time around but we got our acts together eventually…I bet you and Carter will too"

"Have you MET Carter Alcott, Brooke? He's living in Peter Pan world. He refuses to grow up"

"He will…Lucas did"

"I'm also really doubtful that Lucas exists, because he sounds damned perfect"

"He pretty much is"

"I'm really excited to meet him…if I ever do"

"Come back to North Carolina with me over the summer and you will" Brooke bargained.

"Mayyyybe" Madison teased, turning into her driveway.

"I'm so glad its Friday"

"Amen to that" Madison said.

"Hello beautiful girls" Carter sauntered into the room.

"Hey you chunk of hunk" Brooke teased.

"What is UP?" Carter asked.

"We were just talking about you" Madison laughed.

"Secretly wishing you could have me? I know" Carter said.

"Mhmm…exactly" Brooke said.

"Remember the first day you came here? And I hit on you?" Carter asked.

"How could I forget?" Brooke laughed. "In my mind I had a mental image of Lucas beating your ass"

"Oops…this Lucas guy sounds protective" Carter said.

"This Lucas guy also calls her 24/7, can cook, clean, do laundry, give birth, and cure cancer" Madison said.

"Shut up! I didn't make Lucas up!" Brooke defended.

"Okay…" Carter and Madison shook their heads.

"You know what?" Brooke laughed. "I'll call him right now"

"Don't interrupt him…he might be saving a crashing plane or something" Carter said.

"Carterrrr" Brooke whined. "Stooooppp"

"If Lucas can deal with Brooke's whining he must REALLY be superman" Madison pointed out.

"This is true" Brooke admitted.

"So, call him then" Carter challenged.

"He's still in school"

"What? He can't be in two places at once?"

"Carter Alcott, I swear…" Brooke said.

"Fine, fine, I believe in this Lucas guy"

"Mhmm, ok" Brooke rolled her eyes. "So, what are we doing tonight?"

"How about a movie?" Madison suggested.

"The Notebook!" Brooke squealed.

"NOT The Notebook" Carter said.

"Aw, come on Alcott…" Brooke whined.

"It's such a chick movie!"

"You've seen it?" Madison asked.

"Yes" Carter admitted.

"With who? Your boys?" Brooke asked.

"No…with Angelina"

"Who's that?" Madison asked nonchalantly.

"This…girl" Carter said sheepishly.

"Are you seeing her?" Brooke asked bluntly.

"Yeah, kind of" Carter said, and Brooke could pretty much hear Madison's heart sink.

"Then why aren't you with her tonight?" Madison asked with a hint of bitterness in her voice.

"Because I promised to hang out with you guys" Carter said. "Why am I being given the third degree?"

"No reason, we're just curious" Brooke said, quickly responding.

"Well, I don't feel well" Madison said. "So I don't know about the movies tonight. I'll call you guys at 7:00 and see if I feel better, ok?"

Carter nodded and left the room, and Brooke edged closer to her best friend and put an arm around her.

"Maddie, are you ok?" she asked.

"No" Madison shook her head, the tears building. "He's seeing another girl? Since when?"

"I didn't know anything about it either, I had no idea" Brooke said.

"Brooke, you told me he said he was in love with me. What happened?"

"I don't know, Maddie, I really, really don't"

Brooke sat on the swing, gently swaying back and forth. She wondered where Carter had gone astray. Then she wondered whether Lucas would go astray too. And then her thoughts led her to Valentines Day, which was today. She wasn't going to have Lucas with her, and Carter was probably going to be with Angelina. She figured she and Madison would drown their sorrows in expensive chocolate later that night.

Her phone vibrated and she saw Lucas's name blinking on screen, she smiled and picked up. He was probably calling her to say Happy Valentines Day.

"Hello?" she said.

"Hey, baby" Lucas's voice resonated through the phone.

"Hey you!" Brooke said.

"Hey, can you do me a favor and go to your mailbox?"

"Ok…why?" Brooke asked suspiciously.

"I sent you something"

"Oh, ok" Brooke said. She padded through the house to the front door and opened the door. She heard a noise and looked around the corner of the house. "OHMYGOD! LUCAS! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"

"Happy Valentines Day pretty girl" Lucas said, pulling her into a kiss.

"Lucas…you flew all the way over here? To see ME?" Brooke exclaimed.

"Of course I flew to see you!" Lucas smiled, kissing her. "Do you think I could have celebrated Valentines Day without you?"

"Lucas, you are officially the best boyfriend EVER" Brooke said, hugging him. "I love you"

"I love you too, pretty girl…I love you too"

_Later…_

"So you all didn't think I existed?" Lucas asked Madison and Carter.

"Nope" Madison laughed. "We thought you were fictional"

"They thought you were too perfect" Brooke laughed. "Which you are" she said, kissing him.

"Aw…you guys are too cute" Madison said.

"PDA…" Carter whined.

"Sorry" Brooke said. "It's Valentine's Day; we can be as cheesy as we want today"

"This is true" Madison admitted. "So are we going to go at least catch dinner so I can get to know superman better?"

"Superman?" Lucas asked.

"Their nickname for you" Brooke rolled her eyes. "Not my doing"

"Okay…" Lucas teased, kissing her. "Let's go pretty girl"

**A/N: A fluff-tastic chapter to warm your insides : Review!!**


	13. Chapter 13

"Wake up!" Madison shook Brooke. "Wake up, Brooke! It's graduation day!"

"Oh my god" Brooke said, looking at Madison. "We're graduating high school, Maddie!"

"We are!" Madison said. "Now, up! Time to get ready"

"I'm gonna cry" Brooke said. "I've been going to this school for a semester and I'm gonna cry"

"I will too" Madison said, hugging Brooke. "I can't believe I have to say bye to you in a week"

"I know…" Brooke said, hugging her best friend back. "Stupid USC"

"Stupid UNC" Madison laughed. She leaned over to Carter and kissed him on the cheek. Madison and Carter were now an item, and had been since after Valentines Day. "Wake up, Carter"

"I'm up, I'm up" Carter groaned, rolling over and cracking one eye open. "Hey, beautiful"

"Hey" Madison smiled. "Get up, we need to get ready…graduation is in like 3 hours"

"It's in THREE HOURS? You could've woken me up 10 minutes before!" Carter whined. "I don't need 3 hours to get ready like you and Brooke"

"Well then you can sit and mourn the ending of your high school career" Madison said.

"Mourn? Yeah right"

"You're not in the least bit sad?" Madison asked.

"Nah…I got what I wanted out of high school…a degree and you" he murmured, snaking his arms around her waist and kissing her.

"PDA!" Brooke yelled. "PDA!"

"Madison, are you ready for pictures?" her mother's shrill voice came from the bottom of the stairs.

"Mom, Brooke and I just woke up!" Madison yelled back.

"Hurry up Madison!" her mother yelled.

"Women" Carter muttered, rolling over on the bed and burying his head in the pillow.

"Men" Madison rolled her eyes back at him and kissed him. "Sleepyhead I'll wake you up in an hour"

"Thanks babe" Carter mumbled, falling asleep instantly. Brooke watched Madison and Carter and her heart ached for Lucas. Just at that instant, her phone rang and it was Lucas calling.

"Hello?"

"How's the prettiest high school graduate in all of California?"

"Not quite a graduate yet" Brooke laughed. "But I'm good, how are you?"

"Good, excited that I've already graduated…I wish I could be there pretty girl" Lucas said.

"I know, I wish you could be here today too…my dads taking tons of pictures and I'll see you in a week"

"I know…bye, have a great time…I love you" Lucas said.

"I love you too" Brooke smiled and hung up. It was great having a boyfriend.

_Three hours later…_

"Ladies and gentleman, I present to you the graduating class of 2007!"

Hats flew up in the air. Makeup ran down everyone's faces. Hugs were exchanged all around.

Brooke felt someone tap her shoulder. She turned around, and there, standing in front of her in all his glory was her boyfriend, Lucas Scott.

"LUCAS?"

"I know I keep pulling this surprise appearance act on you…but Brooke Davis I could not miss your graduation day" Lucas hugged her tightly and then wiped the tears that were running down her face. "Congratulations, graduate"

* * *

"Lucas…you're amazing" Brooke whispered into his ear as they sat on her hammock and swung back and forth later that night. Brooke had forgone all the wild graduation parties for some quality time with her beloved.

"I'm amazing? Brooke…I don't even have words to describe you" Lucas whispered back, kissing the side of her head. "I'm so glad I could see you graduate"

"I know…so you're going to fly back with me at the end of the week?"

"Yeah, I'll be here to help you pack and stuff"

"Are you nervous, Lucas?" Brooke asked. "About UNC and college…and us?"

"I'm nervous about college, yeah…but I'm not nervous about us, Brooke. Nothing that feels this right could do us wrong"

"You're not worried that we'll break up or find other people in college?"

"It's always at the back of mind, but let me tell you something pretty girl…doesn't matter if we break up or you like someone else or whatever happens…I will always love you"

"You mean that?"

"With all my heart"

**A/N: Short, I know. But a happy one:**


	14. Chapter 14

"You're trying to kill me, woman…" Lucas grumbled, rolling over and off the bed. "OW!"

He heard a giggle coming from underneath the covers which then turned to full blown hysterical laughter.

"Luke?" Brooke giggled. "Cat got your tongue?"

"We need a bigger bed" Lucas's head emerged from the side of the bed as he sat up. "Or maybe you need to stop kicking me off the bed"

"It's funny to watch" Brooke laughed.

"Okay, let's see how funny you find this" Lucas said, jumping on top of her and tickling her.

"Lucas! Lucas Scott! LUCAS EUGENE SCOTT!"

"See…paybacks a bitch" Lucas said, kissing her. "Good morning"

"Good morning devil" Brooke pouted.

"I love you?"

"Not gonna work this time" Brooke giggled.

"How about we take a nice shower and talk about this later, hmm?" Lucas suggested.

"I like that idea Mr. Scott…race ya there!" Brooke jumped out and ran to the bathroom with Lucas in hot pursuit.

"LUCAS! BROOKE! KEEP IT DOWN!" Karen yelled from her room.

"Sorry mom!" they both yelled back, laughing and making as much noise as they were before.

Lucas caught Brooke's arm as she was running in front of her, pulled her back, and kissed her. "I love you Brooke Penelope Davis"

"Not the middle name…" Brooke said.

"You used Eugene"

"I hope I don't inherit my mother's naming skills" Brooke commented.

"What? I love Penelope…it's so hot" Lucas said, pressing her up against the cold glass shower door.

"Lucas, wait till we at least get into the shower before you try anything" Brooke laughed.

"Hmmm…I don't think I want to wait"

_Meanwhile…_

"How're you feeling, Hales?" Nathan asked, carefully handing her a bowl of chicken noodle soup.

"Way better, thanks" Haley said. Nathan sat down next to her and put his arm around her. "How's the baby?"

"Looks like he wants to meet his mommy and daddy" Haley said. "I think it's gonna happen soon"

"Well be careful, okay?" Nathan said. "I want everything to go completely smoothly"

"Okay, I will, sweetie" Haley laughed, kissing him. "Now go get ready for work"

"I love you, Hales"

"I love you too, Nathan"

* * *

"Brooke and Lucas, do you ever do anything besides sleep with each other or eat?" Karen asked them as she made her way into the kitchen to find Brooke and Lucas eating and kissing in between.

"Mom, we've been away from each other for so long" Lucas said. "This is our amnesty gloating period"

"Okay, just keep it to PG 13 with me around, okay?" Karen said. "Andy and I hear too much at night"

"Mom…" Lucas groaned, embarrassed. "I'm moving into Brooke's old house"

"By all means…" Karen said.

"Thanks, I feel loved" Lucas retorted. Karen rolled her eyes.

"So, are you kids gonna do some community service? Shopping for college? Looking at apartments?"

"Nope" Lucas and Brooke said in unison. "We're gonna go get in the hot tub"

"Teenagers" Andy rolled his eyes and walked into the kitchen. "Good morning loves"

"Good morning hot uncle" Brooke giggled.

"Good morning, Brooke" Andy laughed, grabbing himself some coffee.

"Brooke, please don't hit on my stepfather…lets go" Lucas said, grabbing her hand and pulling a scantily pajama-ed Brooke outside.

"Those kids need to get a sense of direction and purpose in their life" Karen said.

"Come on, sweet, they're teenagers in love…let them have their fun, God knows their life will become serious fast enough" Andy said.

"That's true" Karen admitted.

_Meanwhile…_

Haley sat their, knitting a blue scarf for her baby. Her phone rang and it was Brooke, and she chatted for a while, but she was spacey. A strange cramping feeling was in her stomach, and she didn't know whether it was something to worry about. But as she got up, she felt something pop and then noticed that her water had broken. Naturally, scared shitless, Haley dialed 911.

"Hello, 911, how may we help you?"

"I think my water just broke and I'm home alone- what do I do?"

"Ma'am, you have a while before you have to worry about delivery. I suggest you call a family member immediately and if they're not contactable, call us back and we'll send an ambulance"

"Okay" Haley said, her hand shaking. She quickly dialed Nathan but got his voicemail.

"Come on, Brooke, pick up!" Haley yelled at the phone.

"Hello?"

"BROOKE, my water just broke!"

"I'll be right there, Haley" Brooke said. Lucas gave her a puzzled look. "Haley's water just broke we need to drive her to the hospital"

"Lets go" Lucas leaped out of the hot tub soaking wet and grabbed a towel.

_Two hours later…_

"Haley James Scott, please" Nathan told the nurse as he rushed into the hospital. "She's having a baby?"

"Fourth floor room 321 to your right and down four" the nurse pointed him towards the elevator.

"Thank you!" Nathan called, running to the elevator. Lucas had called and told him that Haley was going to be ready for delivery in 30 minutes, and he had called him about 20 minutes ago. And this was a moment Nathan did NOT want to miss.

Nathan shot down the hallway and into Haley's room, but when he saw a wrapped bundle he knew he had missed it.

"Three minutes too late, Mr. Scott" Brooke said, hugging Nathan. "Congratulations…she's beautiful"

"SHE?" Nathan asked.

"It's a girl" Haley laughed, looking up at Nathan. "They read the sonogram wrong"

"Oh…well…wow…girl or boy, I don't care" Nathan said. "Let me see her…what're we gonna do about the name? We had a boy named picked out"

"I don't know" Haley said. "But Brooke made a great suggestion"

"What?" Nathan said, completely distracted with the little girl who was sleeping in her blanket.

"Brittany Anne"

"Brittany Anne Scott…couldn't imagine her as anything else" Nathan smiled at Haley and kissed her. "Even though I wasn't here, I bet you did great"

"She did" Brooke said. "Now…I wanna see my…I don't even know what she is to me"

"Kind of niece, except you and Luke aren't married" Haley said. "But I know what she will be to you"

"What?"

"Goddaughter"

"For REAL? Oh my god Hales!" Brooke squealed.

"You have to teach her all the stuff she isn't supposed to do and take her to movies she isn't supposed to see" Haley laughed.

"Now let's not get ahead of ourselves" Nathan said. "She's not leaving my sight for the next 18 years"

* * *

"I'm so happy for Haley and Nathan" Brooke said as she walked down the sidewalk hand in hand with Lucas.

"I know…she's beautiful…so tiny" Lucas said, pulling Brooke closer. "Brooke?"

"Yeah?"

"I was thinking about what Haley said today"

"What'd she say?"

"About how Brittany would be your niece except you and I aren't married"

"Yeah…where're you going with this?" Brooke asked.

"Ummm…well…" Lucas took Brooke's hand and got down on one knee. "Brooke Penelope Davis, will you marry me?"

**A/N: Good chapter, eh? Review!**


	15. Chapter 15

"Angela Michelle Scott!" Brooke yelled from the bottom of the stairs. "Jack is going to leave without you!"

"Hold ON, mom!" thirteen year old Angela yelled. "I'm not done with my mascara!"

"Aunt Brooke, she's coming!" eighteen year old Brittany yelled down from the stairs in a show of support for her best friend and cousin.

"She is definitely your child, Brooke" Haley laughed from the couch. "Brittany might as well be your child, too"

"Hey, Nate and I are heading out for golf" Lucas kissed Brooke. "Tell Angela to have a good day at school"

"Okay, Tiger Woods" Brooke winked at him. "Say bye to daddy" she instructed one year old Isabella.

"Bye!" Isabella giggled.

"Bye sweetheart" Lucas said, kissing his youngest goodbye.

"Hey dad, have fun golfing, bye dad" seventeen year old Hunter said in a hurry, rushing out the door.

"Hunter, Hunter…wait!" Brooke said. "Here's your lunch, drive carefully and PLEASE stay out of trouble today, huh?"

"Okay mom" Hunter rolled his eyes. "Bye Angela" he shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Later, Hunter!" Angela called after him as she rushed downstairs, her impeccable curly brown hair bouncing behind her. Brittany followed suit, looking like mini Haley and Brittany's little sister, eleven year old Andrea, rushed down with them.

"Girls are we ready to go?" the family chauffeur, Jack, asked.

"Yeah, ready" the girls gathered their assortment of designer backpacks and lunchboxes and lined up to kiss their mothers.

"Next week, I'm going with Hunter" Brittany complained as Haley kissed her oldest.

"No, you cant, Brit, remember? Next week is the week before the Christmas dance and you HAVE to help me make sure my hair is perfect so Darren will ask me" Angela reminded.

"Right" Brittany rolled her eyes. "What're you gonna do without me when I go to college?"

"I honestly don't know" Angela laughed, hugging Isabella and her mother and traipsing out the door.

"Keep them in check, Andie" Haley told her youngest daughter.

"We are one hectic family" Brooke remarked as she watched Brittany, Angela, and Andrea dance out the door to school.

"We are" Haley laughed.

Shortly after Brittany had been born to Haley and Nathan, which was eighteen years ago, Brooke found out she was pregnant with Hunter Lee Scott, who was now seventeen years old. Four years later, Brooke gave birth to Angela Michelle, and then twelve years later, Isabella Grace had been born. Brooke's crazy family of Hunter, Angela, and Isabella kept her busy, while Haley was busy with her two girls, Brittany and Andrea.

Both Nathan and Lucas played for the Charlotte Bobcats and were extremely successful. They lived next door and were as inseparable as Haley and Brooke. Brooke had lost touched with Madison, Carter, and Peyton as well over the last eighteen years and regretted the fact. Her mother had eventually passed away after fighting a losing battle with cancer for five years, and her father had disappeared somewhere shortly after. But she was happy, happy with her three children, Lucas, and her incredible friendship with Haley and Nathan.

So there it was. In her 36 years of living, Brooke's life had been turned upside and twisted. She had been hurt and kicked to the ground. She had been the most popular girl and also the girl everyone made fun of. But once thing was for sure: she had found her true love, and she had kept him. And she had found her true friends, and she had kept them. Now she had her children, her beautiful home, and her blossoming career as an interior designer. And that was all that mattered.

**THE END.**

A/N: Sorryyyy guys that its been almost two months. You have no idea how incredibly busy juniors are lol. But anyway, this is the ending, hope you enjoyed it. I wont be putting up anymore stories for a while. I just dont think its fair to keep you guys waiting for so long for another chapter. Thanks for reading, and I promise I'll be back around summertime! Review!


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